Are you prepared ? We are certainly not but we got just a tad closer thanks to some pre-Christmas decorating. We have curated a bunch of Christmas tree decorations that we really liked from various retailers and we started decorating our home in increments before we actually make the courage to get the Christmas tree out, long story short, we all feel the need to start decorating way too early, so we did, we started decorating, obviously, too early!

A short list of items we`ve gathered, one that in reality proved far bigger than on paper, one can find a lot of Christmas decorations online that is for sure, one can also craft a lot of Christmas ornaments, happily, our selection contains both. We have done our best to select items that contrast in materiality and texture but complement overall, balance has been sought in the mixture but we are still uncertain whether we found it or not, the composition seems a tad unstable, how do you find it?

In the following rows a few images we will showcase most of the items used, a numbered list will describe each item afterwards briefly, punctually.

Magical Christmas Decorations List

A complete list of the our Christmas ornament selection follows, feel free to use it to track down items that you`ve liked !

1. Antique Silver Daleya Bauble Bundle can be found on the Amara website, they are simply splendid, one cannot describe the superb sound they make the stars hit each other, it`s a glass delicate Christmas-ish sound that simply speaks of something magical, this effect is due to the thick glass layers that composes them, the cap in iron is also splendidly crafted, overall the decor piece that I`d use any Christmas, regardless of theme.

2. Origami Printed Paper Christmas Decorations are delicate, beautifully crafted and thanks to the magnets incorporated one can fold them easily after Christmas thus improving their resilience a great deal, needless to say that their shapes are inspired by the most popular decorations Christmas has surfaced. One can find them in different shapes and hues on the Amara website but the printed option was our choice, mainly due to its naturalness. One can also shape these awesome decorations by following a DIY tutorial, patience is definitely required by the result is brilliant.

3. 30 Assorted Bulbs in Winter White, one set of bulbs makes a Christmas easier on the decor side, they are pretty inexpensive, they come in all shapes and sizes and they can sculpt a tremendous amount of decorations in no time, the ones used in our guide were a mix of bulbs provided by Amara but any white or even better, transparent bulb, will do !

4. Red Hanging Sleigh Bellsare a must, one surely envisions the sound of sleigh bells when he thinks of Christmas, a delicate reminder of a magical setting and a brilliant celebration. These bells can be found everywhere today and they come in all shapes, sizes and colors, the one showcased above and in our small gallery have been purchased from Zara Home but you can surely find less expansive alternatives.

5. Felt Bubble Star can help you diversify the textures in your setting, this bulb along with our red sleigh bells helped us achieve some % of red in our composition, more would have been better but considering the small scale of the decorations involved and the absence of a green background, the Christmas Tree, we`ve settled for punctual accents.

6. One cannot simply go wrong with stars on Christmas and from our point of view, one cannot go wrong with rust either so the Large Hadi Rust Wire Star joined the scene naturally, it was both our dominant piece and our support piece and it fulfilled both roles brilliantly emphasized by light, closer to Christmas it will surely be our dominating star.

7. The Robin to our Batman Haidi Wire Star has been the Silver Star Hanging Ornament that contrasted it with volume and an impeccable finish, this will be used in the support role during Christmas as we value age, memory and experience, attributes encapsulated by the rusted star, over aesthetics, the silver star is also smaller.

8. The Carla Light-Up Decorative Tree is intriguing, that is because the splendid little tree is made of wax and the item looks brilliant yet the wax Christmas tree that you see it is not a candle, there is no wick. There is however a small socket underneath where you place two batteries, there you will also find a switch that once turned on it illuminates the tree from within.

That is not all.

The leds contained have a pulse, they mimic a candle that loses and gains intensity naturally, the splendid play of light really brings it to life; needless to say that this smart decoration is also probably the most beautiful safe candle-ish decoration that you can purchase.

9. Golden Clay Bubble Garlands have been luckily found in a flea market here, they`re awesome because they are made of clay and while they are smaller than most Christmas decorations there are far heavier. They also have an epic natural clay finish over which gold has been sprinkled, they look super natural; if you fail to find these in our composition, look closer at the wire basket, it`s filled with these.

10. Wood Cut-outs Christmas Decorations are simply legendary, they are natural, they are sustainable, they can be the result of a DIY project easily ! In our simple display we have used four, they portray a heart, a star, a Christmas tree and last but not least, a reindeer. These decorations in particular have been shaped in birch wood but one could use absolutely any piece of wood to create awesomeness !

11. Pine-cones. If one simply cannot purchase a Christmas tree in the “exotic” location he`s living at the moment, pine-cones will be there for him, they will highlight the feeling of appurtenance even if they are so far away from their tree. Needless to say that they are inexpensive even when they are far away from home. You can paint these, you can live them bare, you choose. Above you can see that ours have snow painted on them to support the birch wooden decor pieces but they can also create contrast through color or exude naturalness bare, choose what fits your decor.

12. A liner, delicate presence to encourage the rusted start and the wire basket that follows at #13 has been the Set of 4 Geo Christmas Tree Decorations, these are a tad on the expensive side but there are a decor piece that you cannot find easily in store. This being said, a skillful DIY enthusiast could trade a bit of time for money and materialize these. We`ve liked them because they create depth through shadows whilst renaming delicate, transparent, what do you think?

13. The Alama Square Basket in Grey and Cream is a brilliant presence, the wire frame basket speaks or rustic and industrial in a very chic and natural design language; you can see it above the number 10 in our list. If everything in this world would be stored in wire-frame baskets and wooden boxes and crates the world would be so much more beautiful, you simply cannot wrong with these !

14. A simple reed diffuser makes the whole experience a whole lot better, we usually use Nordic Leather from Zara Home but as Christmas is just around the corner we thought that something a tad more traditional would help, the Christmas White Village Reed Diffuser was our choice but it was really difficult to pick one out, all home retailers have great selections today, we went with Amara`s diffuser this time.

15. We use a selection of boxes crafted by Bloomingville to contain the Christmas magical decorations throughout the year, you`ll see these in our gallery. They are simple boxes with epic craftsmanship that invite pastel colors to complement the cozy and soothing wooden texture, these can be found here but any wooden crate, wire-frame basket, wooden box, paper box would do, try to use natural materials as much as possible, you can salvage a lot of great baskets and crates from the flea market for example.

17. Candles. Absolutely no way around it, candles must be present, they warm our scene, they bring in scent, they live through our memories and experiences. We have used scented candles from Primark but absolutely any brand, any scent, any candle will do, simply choose something that you like. Try not to go overboard, while handpicked state of the candles are awesome, 120 hours of candle time win over 10 hours of state of the art candle time, you simply get more cozy time so spend your money well.

18. LED Lights. The last three pieces in our list are simply not optional for Christmas, one cannot go celebrate without them. LED lighting systems can be found absolutely everywhere and just like candles, they bring coziness and warmth, especially in warm white tones. We have used battery operated warm white copper string lights, that being said we would recommend the simple plug and play alternative, it is a bit cheaper and it saves you the hassle of running for batteries. The copper wire is splendid though and the warm white light only emphasizes it; you can find absolutely any string light that your mind can imagine, choose something that you really like.

19. Chocolate. Oranges. Cinnamon. These are crucial components in a Christmas celebration, in our gallery they`re not present because they were actually shaping the experience. Christmas means something else for each and everyone, reason for which these three particular elements are not necessary “THE” elements but you will surely know what you need on #19 and we would love to hear what that is !

A Brief List of Christmas Decorating Examples Follow

Star Structure for LED String Lights

It can be that easy ! Simply take a structure that you like, be it a star, a wire frame Christmas tree or a heart, whatever it is, embellish it with string lights, they will be able to make it Christmassy in no time!

Copper warm white string lights make a good team with rust one could argue.

Add Christmas Elements to Your Nightstand

Three combinations that we have really loved have been invited in our home and we will present them below, we will try to cycle through these throughout December, a refresh in Christmas decorations is always welcomed.

Our first choice is a tad rustic, it uses the wire-frame basket to hold the ceramic spheres, some pine cones and the epic birch wood cut-outs that we simply adore. To emphasize this small batch of naturalness, the village diffuser joins the party. We have scent, coziness and warmth and to this already brilliant recipe we added light, a battery string lights set was nestled between the elements contained by the basket.

On a simple white tray, the wax Christmas tree is pulsing next to three candles, the red sleigh bells contrast the piece discreetly, their matte finish enjoys the four source of light beautifully, quietly, still.

Three different candles produce different scents, their small chromatic difference also contribute to the scene.

The matte red metal is replace with antique silver on glass. The composition becomes far more elegant instantly,it speaks of a more delicate, subdued and yet highly luxurious look. Shivers of light from the pulse of the Christmas tree and the candles alike highlight the transparency of the glass stars.

Wooden Box, Christmas Bulbs and LED String Lights

Sometimes you need just a bit of Christmas, maybe you are travelling and you simply cannot decorate a rental properly, maybe you want spend little to no time on decorating and focus on baking treats or spending time with family, who knows ? Whatever the reason, there are numerous options, one of which would be simply taking a battery operated set of string lights and putting it in a basket, a box, a crate filled Christmas bulbs.

You can possibly get all the components above for three dollars from the dollar store, you can use a shoe box and make that two ! A small budget or a short time frame is no reason to skip Christmas decorating !

We`ve used the box you see below as a night lamp, placed at the foot of the bed, it helped us find our way through the night when needed, a warmth diffused light filtered by the light bulbs has served us beautifully.

Decorating a Shelf for Christmas

It sounds odd or unnecessary ?

It is not.

A shelf can receive your diffuser, a safe candle or a Christmas decoration that you love, in our case, the wax Christmas Tree, needless to say that a shelf can receive an elf, an elf on the shelf basically.

A shelf can be re-arranged to get extra coziness and warmth, our wire-frame basket filled with goodies has been promoted to the top shelf.

Next, we`ve added a second set of string lights underneath the self, they provide extra warmth and coziness, they warmly illuminate the night.

Along with the string lights origami paper decorations have joined the composition, numerous pieces of paper beautifully tailored to shape a small garland, a delicate expression, all paper.

Wire-frame geometry can be used just as well but we felt the need to add a dominant piece, four black wire cones were simply odd, the 5th element, the silver star came into the picture and it was supposed to balance visually both the under the shelf line up as well as the vertical composition, it became a weight point in contrast with the wax Christmas tree; this composition uses only metal under the shelf.

The following composition uses the decorations that we`ve liked the most, the wooden cut-outs leading with the reindeer and the glass stars functioning as weight point in the composition, the ensemble replacing the silver star ensemble. The heart is protected by a star and w Christmas tree, what do you think about the order?

The last shelf decor setup uses simple bulbs in white, a red one in felt and the sleight bells in matte red, all elements in a line of seven, the accents being number 2 and 6. In this line one could make the argument that the felt bulb had to stay higher up or the sleight bells should have been lower, we personally think that one`s argument would be correct.

The Reinterpretation of a Christmas Tree

A simple grid from which one suspends Christmas globes at different heights.

That is everything you need.

You can use a small camping grill, you can use piece of cardboard or you can use a wire frame rustic star. The 40 cm start that we have used was in truth not enough for diversity but we did manage to send the right message and thanks to a small and delicate string light, the trunk of the Christmas tree was beautifully portrayed.

Far more bulbs were needed to create volume and in all honesty, a bigger start would have made the job far easier, the ensemble might have gained volume easier.

The simply beauty of Christmas tree alternatives is that we save the life of a plant without sacrificing much; a good diffuser can easily fill the scent task that we all pursue.

Notice how the slight differences in texture and shape between the light bulbs have been brought forward by light.

A delicate touch copper and warm white light are.

The reflection of the wooden floor was in this case super cozy but it kind of stole the thunder of the tree, the red`ish presence becomes a focal point instantly.

How do you see the design ideas above ? What decorations would you use to replace the traditional Christmas tree?

We were super excited to use decorations that we have hand picked, the ones from Amara were an immense surprise, especially the glass stars, one would suggest you to cast a glance over their website !

We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below, we would love to hear from you, happy holidays !